Stingy Jack you clever rogue
only Ireland's rocky soil
could have birthed you
who but you
had what it takes
to share a glass
of uisce beatha
with Old Scratch
and make him pay the bill

Lacking cash the Tempter turned
himself into a silver coin
which you then slipped into your pocket
held him hostage with a cross

And when you set him free
the deal was he would let you
live in peace another year
and never claim you soul

If that were not enough
again you tricked him
this time up a tree
to pick some fruit
then carved a cross
not letting him descend

Until he had agreed to grant you
ten more years of grace
all that you needed to
live out your life in peace

But then the Good Lord
would not let you enter His
celestial kingdom
judging you too much a rascal
and a rogue

Likewise the Old Deceiver
blocked your entrance
into his dark dungeon
holding fast to what you'd
made him swear

So with a burning coal
set in a turnip
you were forced to wander
over hills and moors
a lost soul
scaring country folk

And so we have
Jack o' the lantern
fearsome faces carved
into a pumpkin
with a candle set
to make an eerie orange glow

Jack o'lantern faces that no longer
scare a single soul but
keep the ghosts and goblins
at a distance and delight
the trick-or-treaters
little witches, warlocks,
zombies, superheroes
that this night
of Halloween
come knocking
at our door